Undark: America’s 20-year military occupation devastated Afghanistan’s environment in ways that may never be fully investigated or addressed. American and allied military forces, mostly from NATO countries, repeatedly used munitions that can leave a toxic footprint. These weapons introduced known carcinogens, teratogens, and genotoxins — toxic substances that can cause congenital defects in a fetus and
Tolo News: Aziz Hazara, an artist who currently works in Kabul and Berlin, collected a shipment of 20 tonnes of rubbish from Bagram airbase, once used as the main US military base in Afghanistan, the UAE-based The National reported. Hazara told The National that the garbage’s journey would take up to one year, and was
Tolo News: The head of Kabul Zoo on Wednesday said that from 500 types of animals found in Afghanistan, 149 are facing extinction. Speaking at a gathering for Environment Week, the officials said that if poaching continues many rare animals will be extinct in Afghanistan. Environmental pollution and poaching are among the key factor, he
Ariana: Afghanistan’s Meshrano Jirga (Upper House of Parliament) on Sunday summoned National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) officials, and Kabul municipal officials to answer questions over the high levels of pollution in Kabul city among other issues. Click here to read more (external link).
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan: A children’s hospital in Kabul is reporting a large increase in patients experiencing respiratory problems as smog and pollution continue to blight the Afghan capital. Kabul, which has seen its population rise rapidly in recent years, currently ranks fourth in a global pollution index.
Tolo News: The air pollution in Kabul is seasonal and it will increase with the arrival of summer. A report released by an American institution last year listed Afghanistan among the ten cities in the world which have the most polluted air. During winter, as the weather gets cold, the air pollution increases in the city
Tolo News: People in Afghanistan on Sunday joined other nations around the world to mark World Earth Day and carried out a clean up operation at the Hashmat Khan Lake in Kabul city. The theme for World Earth Day this year was End Plastic Pollution. Click here to read more (external link).